One of the difficulties lawyers face is to define the precise meaning of words in the context of the ever-changing English language. That was certainly so in one case in which a judge relied too heavily on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in trying to
Contract adjudications are meant to provide a speedy, cost-effective and conclusive means of resolving disputes and, as a High Court case showed, judges are extremely reluctant to see them deteriorate into satellite litigation. A construction company referred its dispute with two other companies to an
If you suspect that your health has been damaged by exposure to asbestos there are powerful reasons why you should contact a solicitor without delay. In one case, an ex-scaffolder’s decision to take legal advice before his death from asbestos-related cancer ultimately led to his
Many family trusts are of some antiquity and there is a tendency for their terms to lose touch with the modern world. However, as a case concerning a noble family showed, judges have all the powers required to bring them up to date. The case
Due to the great public interest in an effective national telecommunications network, mobile phone operators can require landowners to provide plots for their equipment. However, as with any intrusive rights that can be imposed on the unwilling, the rules that apply before they can be
Validly restricting the post-termination conduct of employees and partners involves striking a careful balance between business protection and personal freedom, and that is why professional drafting is indispensable. An instructive case on point concerned a partner in a professional services firm who was banned from
In the interests of future flexibility, local authorities often understandably wish to keep housing land in reserve for longer-term development. However, as a High Court case showed, the pressing need for more new homes is such that delay cannot always be justified. The case concerned
Patents are designed to encourage innovation and are effectively state-sponsored bargains which confer time-limited monopoly rights on inventors. As an important Supreme Court ruling made clear, however, such rights are restricted to ideas and products that are genuinely innovative. The case concerned a pharmaceutical company’s
When sick or infirm people lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, the law steps in to protect them – even against the well-meaning interference of loved ones. In a case on point, the High Court banned publication of a video taken of a
The territorial reach of UK Employment Tribunals (ETs) is not without limit and the overseas presence of many British businesses can give rise to difficult jurisdictional issues. A recent case concerned a French lawyer who worked in the Paris office of an international law firm
